5 ways to get your happy-ass happy

Maybe it’s the gray, rainy weather we’ve been “enjoying” the last few weeks or perhaps it’s just that I need some Vitamin Sea but it seems like we could all use an extra dose of Tamiflu and Happiness these days. Can I get an Amen!

Here are my top 5 sure-fire ways to pump up your happiness level on the double.

Compile a list of 20 things that make you Smile. A legit pen to paper L-I-S-T. Grab a notebook and number 1 through 20 on a page, then write down every single thing that makes you happy. Fresh flowers. Pizza date night. Netfix-And-Chill. Happy Hour with girlfriends. Cleaning. Working out. Crafting. Drybar blowout. Cooking (I’ve heard some people actually enjoy this). There is no right or wrong answers because it’s YOUR list so don’t be shy, jot down anything that comes to mind. Title this list “Smile”. Bonus points if you get your list to 30.

Make a second list of at least 10 things you already have that make you happy. Long hot showers. Strawberry Perrier. Food delivery services (cuz I’m still working on that cooking thing…). Clean sheets. Forehead kisses. Make the title to this list “Grateful”. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself of all the things that you love, and already have.

Write a third list of all the shit that really pisses you off. Get it allllllll out! What makes you anxious, fearful, sad, frustrated, disappointed or down-right angry? This list could get pretty long so make sure you have plenty of pages in that notebook! Now why on earth would I want you to think about things that make you unhappy when we’re trying to get happy? Good question. Just do it, and title this list “Shit I Don’t Like” for the sake of consistency and organization. Plus, that’s just fun to write.

Take the list of things that you Don’t Like and identify at least two things you can ELIMINATE from your life today. TODAY. Don’t like it when your space is cluttered. Declutter! Don’t like the ridiculously boring cream wall color in your apartment. Paint it! Don’t like it when you go too long without seeing your friends and having some fun. Plan a damn girls night! You won’t be able to fix everything but how great would it be to fix something. One thing — ok, I said two things but you get the gist. YOU are a boss! YOU own your happiness! And YOU have the power to remove something that makes you unhappy. #getitgurl

Lastly, for all my perfectionists out there, I see you. Choose happiness over the anxiety of making everything perfect. Perfection is like a unicorn. We see it in pictures but not one damn person can tell me where to find it. Sometimes “good enough” is, in fact, good enough. Sometimes you have to love yourself enough to say “no”. Sometimes you have to refer to your Smile list rather than the To-Do list that seems more important because NOTHING, my love, is more important than your happiness.

For me, being unhappy feels shitty. So the way I see it, I’ve two choices: feel like shit, or not. This should be a pretty easy answer.

BUT make no mistake, being happy is a CHOICE not a state of being.

It’s also not up to someone else to make you happy. It’s not your boyfriend/girlfriend, mom/dad, brother/sister, grandparent, friends, boss, coworker, or anyone else’s. It’s yours and yours alone.

Why, because true Happiness is an inside job.

You must CHOOSE gratitude and positivity over the feeling of overwhelm, fear, anxiety or defeat. Who wants to feel those ugly things?

By the way, just a little heads-up as you start this journey, you will have to CHOOSE to be happy again, and again, and again, and again, and again. It’s a muscle you must flex to grow.

Love on yourself a little more. List #1.

Purposefully practice gratitude for the things you have, big or small. List #2.

And remove things from your life that piss you off wherever you can. List #3.